Be my Friend
by Charon the Sabercat
Summary: Wright and Layton and company have left Labyrinthia with a lot of questions and a sour taste in their mouths that they swear didn't exist when they were actually there. Wright and Maya cannot leave London until the investigation is complete, so now Phoenix has to face one last, hard question: can he and Professor Layton continue be friends even after the adrenaline wears off?
1. Chapter 1

Be My Friend

Disclaimer and notes: I own nothing, just had an idea of how character interactions could have gone in "Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright" and went with it.

Among the past few week's many, many miracles and odd events, it was Constantine staying on the bow of the boat for the entire ride to shore that distracted the company the most. The little poodle-y puppy, possibly bichon frise, too pedigree to exist in a true Labyrinthia, balanced on the highest edge of a speedboat riding the bumps and wave as if it were second nature was just the right amount of tension and cute to keep everyone's minds off the events they had just lived. Labyrinthia was far away and growing even farther. Arthur Cantabella's face was long out of sight. Halfway through the ride, Phoenix Wright's energy plummeted, and lulled to sleep by the humming motor he leaned onto an obliging Professor Layton and kept his eyes desperately open just watching Constantine be alive. Maya's voice faded to silence. Luke's laughter was nowhere to be heard. Even Barnham simply drove, not attempting anymore conversation, until they finally pulled ashore and left the boat on shaking legs.

Midday, on a wooden pier on the other side of a great lake, stood a gaggle of adventurers back from a land of magic and witchcraft, finally back to their normal lives.

Maya took a long, deep breath.

"WORST. VACATION. _EVER!_ "

"Trust Maya to say what we're all thinking," Phoenix groaned. "Loudly. Where people can still hear us."

"I mean, come on, I can't be the ONLY one thinking that!" Maya punctuated her thoughts with a light strike to her cheek. "I don't know if it's the air or what, but halfway back I suddenly got swamped with all these feelings..."

"Like..." Luke began, hesitant. He spoke as if he didn't want to admit it, as if it would make everything more real. "About halfway back, did you suddenly feel... very angry?"

"YES! At everything! And everyone!" Maya responded. "Like- like they could erase memories, right? Why did they erase me and Nick's memories and then kidnap us?! And brainwash us?!"

"And he only did it to you two!" Luke corrected. "The professor and I didn't get a hint of that!"

Maya stomped her foot. "And the witches! Why could they only be women?! They could've had evil warlocks, too!"

"You know, the more I think about it," Phoenix pondered. "The more I wonder how many people got put into identities they weren't right for, like how we got made into bakers..."

"And how the Shades followed the witches everywhere they went!" Luke said with a point. "What if they wanted to cast a spell in the bath?"

The group collectively shuddered, the silent Professor pulling his top hat further down his face.

"I swear, if they put some kind of hypnotic hoogy-joogy in the air," Maya growled, "I'm suing that whole town!"

"Hoogy-joogy, Maya? Really?" Phoenix barely had the strength to wipe the sweat off his brow. "Hoogy-joogy."

Before Maya could elaborate on 'hoogy-joogy', Phoenix caught the sound of sirens. Lights peeked out from around a copse of trees; police cars rolled out from a nearby gravel road. The four ran to meet them like children to an ice cream truck, Maya leading with a chattering Luke caught in her iron grip. The first officer out of the car, a man in a khaki suit and more mustache than mouth, caught the Professor's eyes before anyone else. "Oi! Layton! There you are!"

The Professor stepped his way to the front, meeting the Inspector in a firm handshake and a smile. "Inspector Chelmey. What a relief to see you."

Chelmey returned the shake, but not the smile. In fact, he looked a bit peeved about the whole thing. "Relieved to see me indeed! You and your bunch have been causing a small panic over at the yard. Where with the lot of you go, anyway? I didn't even think you fished."

"Fished, Inspector?" The Professor didn't look away, but the three behind him exchanged glances with each other, murmuring to themselves. "What on Earth do you mean?"

"We had a call come into the station not long ago!" Chelmey explained. "Said that you had left on a fishing trip with your friends about two weeks ago and never came back. Isn't that where you've been?"

Wind rustled in the trees. Somewhere far in the distance, cars passed over a bridge, and a fish jumped in a far corner of the lake.

"NO!"

"We got kidnapped by a book and forced to work in a bakery!" Maya screamed.

"A woman got dropped into a firepit and mindwiped and then she tried to blow up me and Luke!" Phoenix hollered.

"They tried to frame Maya for murder by statue and then left her in a forest to die with the Professor!" Luke whimpered.

"My dear Inspector," Layton said as he pulled down his top hat. "I believe the circumstances of our disappearance is much more... convoluted than your informant would suggest. I believe a short summary is in order."

The short summary took 20 minutes at the lakeside, another 40 in the car ride back to the station, and a final hour and a half at the station with a short break for vending machine snacks despite Chelmey's initial offer of bread and- ("NO BREAD, please! … sir. Thank you," said Luke.)- tea. Chelmey had never seen Layton so passionately eat anything, much less an ordinary packet of Jaffa cakes.

"Well... well then. That's..." Chelmey coughed. "That's... very involved."

"And you weren't even there," Phoenix grumbled. "Imagine living that for about two weeks..."

"Well... I'll have to let the Legal League of Attorneys know about this..." Chelmey refreshed himself with a sip of tea. "They were the ones asking where Mr. Wright and Ms. Fey had gone."

Phoenix took a moment to rub his temples. "I feel so loved and cherished right now..."

"But knowing there's... an island that's kidnapping folks... removin' their memories, making them work without electricity or indoor plumbing, drinkin' non-pasteurized milk, that's breakin' a whole bunch of laws there... This'll be a full-on investigation, at this rate."

Phoenix's head dramatically met the table. The Professor gasped from his seat beside Phoenix and laid a soft hand on a his shoulder.

"And until that's some sort of wrapped up, you lot won't be free to leave the country."

"Wait, wait!" Maya exclaimed. "You mean we get to stay in London for more time? On extended vacay?"

Chelmey stroked his mustache. "Well, the League did mention something about your expense account running out-"

Phoenix's groan shook the table, and even Maya drooped. "Oh... so no more free room and meals on the League's dime..."

"How unfortunate." The Professor gave Phoenix another gentle pat and finally removed his hand. "Not to mention rude of this League. I insist that you stay with Luke and I while this whole fiasco is settled."

Luke's cup met the table in delight. "Oo! They can stay in my room!"

"Yeah! We'll stay up late!" Maya nearly squealed. "Swappin' manly stories!"

Phoenix finally sat back up, a nice red mark across his forehead. "I don't want to put you out of your way, Professor. I'm sorry for the trouble."

"It's no trouble at all." The Professor's finger leaped into the air, and Phoenix knew that his mind was made up on this. "Besides, a proper gentleman always makes his friend's comfort a priority."

The Professor was playing the gentleman card, and Phoenix swallowed a lump forming in his throat. Right, the gentleman card, he thought to himself. Layton was a gentleman through and through, and suddenly Maya and Luke's meandering talk about waffles for breakfast and every little tick of slang caught on his ears. He and Maya had such a casual, dare he call it "American" relationship. The thought of being in close quarters with Professor Layton, gentleman hero and master of all things high class, suddenly made him very self-conscious.

Somewhere off in a fog, he heard Chelmey saying something about getting testimony, and the rock finally settled into his gut. At least this long week would have television and flush toilets.


	2. Chapter 2

Be My Friend  
Ch. 2

Disclaimer and notes: I own nothing, just had an idea of how character interactions could have gone in "Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright" and went with it.

* * *

It was dark outside by the time they finally left the station. The littlest breeze blew across Maya's bare legs and made her shiver, and Phoenix reflexively tucked her under his arm to keep her arm. Luke hopped to the Professor's side, and while he didn't show any signs of cold, the Professor still put a comforting arm on his shoulder.

"We're heading home soon, I guess? Your home, I mean." Phoenix asked. The street lights already had the city bathed in a dim yellow light, and the strain of the day was starting to catch up to him. "It's getting pretty late."

This, evidently, wasn't the case for Professor Layton. One look up at the black night sky set a twinkle to the man's dark eyes, and Phoenix could almost feel him buzz with excitement. "Actually, I have a proposition for you. We'll take a short walk back home and then all get in the car. We're going to the London Eye."

"COR! The London Eye? Really?!" Luke gripped the bill of his hat so tightly it was almost as if he was holding himself down. "I've always wanted to get on it at night!"

"I'm afraid to ask now..." Phoenix pondered, nervously rubbing his chin. "But what's the 'London Eye'?"

Maya gasped out loud, tensing against his arm. "Nick, you don't know?! You plebian! It's-"

The Professor never raised his voice above a shout, or at least it happened so rarely that Phoenix never took notice, but even speaking softly was enough to make Maya quiet down. "Ah-ah-ah. This is a rare opportunity to surprise someone with a spectacle such as this. Not a word to Mr. Wright."

"Aw come on..." Phoenix protested the whole walk home, interjecting into their obviously delighted and purposely digressing conversation about everything but what the London Eye was. "We've had enough curveballs to last us the rest of the month, at least. Give a guy a hint and let me know what we're getting into? Anyone listening? Hello?"

About the time they made it to the Professor's house, though, Phoenix had given up. His complaints were falling on deaf ears, and besides, it was kind of nice to see the joy on Layton's face as he talked about it. After seeing him for so long always serious and grimacing, Phoenix found the raw excitement layered underneath his deep tones soothing. It made the ride out into the streets of London that much nicer. Looking out and seeing the famous buildings, most of which Nick snapped fast pictures of and sent right to Edgeworth, nearly made the drive feel outright magical. In a good way. Not a manipulative, hypnotism induced way.

"Oh, look, there's a carnival!"

"Where, Nick?" Maya checked out her window. She had called shotgun, of course, leaving Phoenix in the back seat with Luke. "I can't see it."

"Over that way! See the ferris wheel in the distance?"

Maya's immediate silence should have been a big clue, especially when the Professor finally parked and ushered the group to walk towards the ferris wheel, which kept getting bigger and closer...

Phoenix stopped at the end of the queue. "The London Eye is the ferris wheel, isn't it?"

"It's, like, the most massive ferris wheel in the world, Nick," Maya said plainly. "Don't treat it like just some carnival ride!"

His mind supplied "I'll treat it like a giant wheel of death," but seeing the smile on Layton's face snapped his mouth shut. He couldn't trample on that enthusiasm with smart-ass. "Uuuh... how should I treat it?"

"With respect and admiration, of course!" said Maya. "And a healthy appreciation for heights!"

"The view from the London Eye at night is extraordinary," the Professor explained. "We might not have the opportunity to do this in the future, so we must take advantage of our free time."

"Not to mention the queue looks rather short," supplied Luke. "Helps to be out of tourist season."

Layton nodded in agreement. "I should be able to get us tickets for a flight with little trouble. I'll get the tickets while you three explore. We shall meet up afterwards."

Luke twiddled his hat. "But where, Professor?"

"That's easy!" Maya grabbed Nick by the ear and tugged down. "We'll meet up at Nick! He's the tallest guy here!"

"I am not-!" No no, for the Professor's sake, stifle it, Nick, he thought to himself. The rest of the thought came out as a bit of a growl, and he rubbed at his tugged ear. "I'll keep an eye out for you, Professor."

As Layton disappeared into a tiny shuffle of tourists, just a tip of a top hat among a crowd, and Luke went off on his Maya-assigned errand for a quick snack before boarding, Nick found his ear tugged again. "Come on, Nick, where did your tongue go?!"

"Agh- it's in my mouth, Maya, what do you want from me?"

"To be yourself!" Maya stomped her foot and puffed out her cheeks, defaulting to "obviously mad" to make her point. "Once you got into the car you got all clammed up and super-polite! It's annoying! What got into you?"

Damn, was he being that obvious or did Maya just know him well? Phoenix tugged at his collar, wicking cool air into his shirt to soothe his sweating neck. "Look, Labyrinthia was one thing, but if the Professor's going to keep us in his house and pay for us to do tourist things, we have to be on our best behavior!"

"Best behavior you belongs in the courtroom!" Maya smiled. "REAL you's gotta get some quips in before the Professor starts thinking you're a eunuch!"

"What."

"Come on, lighten up! Or do I have to give you the Pearlie Treatment?"

"What's the Pearlie Treatme-"

Maya punched him in the gut.

Phoenix had Maya in a mocking headlock and noogie, joking about feeding her to the social worker, before he even noticed Professor Layton was there. He only noticed when he stumbled backwards and fell into hands waiting to catch him, one hand holding a little fan of tickets. "Oh jeez-!"

He threw Maya out of his arms like she'd been lit on fire and turned to the Professor, only to see him smiling his delighted smile with a hint of teeth underneath. "It's good to see the two of you having fun again. I was worried that you were too tired to enjoy the sights."

"Oh..." Of course the Professor had noticed... there went his plan of good behavior. "Yeah... Maya had mentioned that I should try and be a little more-"

"Frisky!" Maya interjected.

"'Frisky' is probably the very worst word you could have picked, Maya. You make me sound like a goat."

"Don't go saying that in front of Mary, or she might try to-"

Phoenix was loud enough to be heard down the street. "THIS IS THE SONG ABOUT DROWNING OUT MAYA, IT'S A SONG I'M MAKING UP SO SHE DOESN'T SCAR MY BRAIN WITH THINGS I DON'T WANT TO HEAR-"

Luke, at some point, had come back with snacks. "Did I miss something?"

"Nothing important to you!" Maya said before anyone could interrupt. "Did you get the chips?"

"Oh yes! Fried fresh!"

"Chips" turned into something like a very late dinner. The Professor ate his with a fork to keep his fingers from getting greasy. Phoenix thought it was a great idea, and kept insisting it was a good idea even after Maya jokingly wiped her greasy hand off on his suit jacket, his one suit jacket that he had because all of their clothes were still at the hotel thank you very much, Maya, he needed to smell like frying oil for the rest of the night. Instead, Maya took her greasy fingers out on Luke's face instead, and once drinks were had and Maya's hands were definitely clean and safe, Phoenix took off the jacket, folded it, and placed it on a bench. It wasn't perfect, but they would simply swing by the hotel and pick up their luggage when they could tomorrow. If his jacket wasn't there when they got off the pod, then so be it. At the very least, Phoenix wouldn't smell of chips.

It was time to fly, and Phoenix was under-informed on a lot of things. He didn't know that the wheel did not stop and that he had to run on with the pod still in motion. He didn't know about the lack of a nice, distracting ride narration. He didn't know that the pod held about 28 people but could only comfortably seat about 8, which he obligingly gave to a pair of expectant mothers and a family with scared small children.

Most of all, though, he didn't know that this was what London looked like at night. It was a forest of tiny lights bringing out both the history old building and the glittering new ones. It was the river coated in yellow while the pod inside was blue with the shine of touchscreens.

It was very overwhelming and his knees were shaking and his head was spinning and it was time to go to the middle and wait out the ride how long was it?

He didn't know the rotation lasted 30 minutes...

Finally, he admitted quietly to Professor Layton from well within the middle of the pod. "I'm terrified of heights."

"Oh dear... my sincerest apologies." Layton lost eye contact with him to gaze for a moment at the floor. "In my excitement, I did not think to ask if such a thing would make you uncomfortable..."

"I should have said something sooner myself, but..." He couldn't help but rub the back of his head, a motion that made his shirt crinkle in his ear. He felt so... undressed without his suit jacket. "You know, being a manly man and not admitting to fears, got all caught up in looking cool for-" you, he bit down quickly. "Luke and Maya."

"That being said, I would like to stand by the window a little longer, and I would enjoy some company."

Phoenix couldn't begrudge him that, but still he had to ask. "Couldn't Luke and Maya keep you company, Professor?"

"I am afraid that would be quite rude at the moment." Layton directed his gaze around Phoenix's high shoulder. "Have a look."

Luke and Maya had taken a perch at the end of the bench and fallen quite asleep, Luke tucked into the crook of her legs as she curled up into the smallest ball she possibly could. Phoenix chuckled to himself and spoke much more quietly. "Kids. Use all their energy at once and then suddenly you have to carry them home."

The Professor's muffled laugh was more of a rumble from deep in his chest. "Quite right. Now, Mr. Wright, if you would please join me at the window."

"Phoenix."

The Professor put a hand to his chin, holding it in contemplation. "Your given name? Are you sure?"

"I'm American! We did kind of go through hell together, Professor, with me you're on a first name basis."

That got him a smile, and Phoenix felt a little lighter inside. The Professor nodded in acknowledgment. "I wish I could extend the same to you-" Phoenix's chest clenched, "But I find it hard to go by my given name even in intimate company. If you like, you may drop my title and simply call me 'Layton'."

Phoenix smiled and rubbed at his neck. "I can do 'Layton'." Oh goodness, he chided himself, tell Layton you meant no innuendo, he didn't mean it, honestly, but would apologizing for it make it an innuendo? He didn't want it to be. He felt like such a teenager. How embarrassing. How old was he, honestly? How old was Layton? Mid 30s? He was terrible at gauging ages and too easily flustered to think, and Layton offering him his hand made it that much worse.

Flustered or not, he took the hand, and Layton walked him over the guardrail and held it tight in his. It wasn't a grip, nothing in Phoenix's hand was crushed or pinched or squeezed. It was simply a confident hand in his, clasping his palm. Phoenix took a long breath and looked out into the night, taking in the lights again and getting lost in London's beauty. He mistakenly looked down and started to shudder all over again...

Layton squeezed his hand, steadying him. His head wasn't floating out in space, it was here on a solid floor with people.

Phoenix looked to the professor and saw him still looking out, taking in the sight, his eyes far away but pleased. He wondered where his mind was. Phoenix, for what it was worth, was just happy to see electricity at this point. Maybe Layton had gotten homesick? Maybe...

Maybe he could just ask. "Can you see your house from here?"

Layton's other hand came up to stifle a laugh, and Phoenix's heart roared in his chest.

Then Layton sincerely scanned the city and pointed to one particular cluster of lights that Phoenix couldn't tell apart from any of the other ones. "No, but I do see Gressenheller University."

"Oh. Alma matter?"

"Place of employment."

"Oh! Neat." Well, he'd broken the ice, he thought, time to ask a serious question. "Are you happy to be home?"

"Immeasurably."

"I'm... well, I am, but I'm not. Home, yet. You get it." Phoenix flexed his fingers, reflexively wanting to twine his fingers with Layton but instead putting them back where they were previously. "You didn't get your memories replaced like Maya and I did, so maybe you don't know how this felt, but for a little while there, my memories of home and my memories of Labyrinthia being sealed off mixed together... and I was kind of terrified I'd never make it back again."

London sat below them, listening.

"I'm happy you never felt that way," Phoenix admitted. "If you didn't, that is, if you did, I sympathize..."

Layton's hand adjusted- oh no their palms were sweaty was that his fault oh goodness- and hooked his pointer fingers just a little higher against Phoenix's pinky.

Was this still being a gentleman? Phoenix looked to Layton again, but his eyes were still on the city, his expression blank.

Phoenix gave Layton's hand a firm squeeze, getting its owners attention. "Ah, I didn't mean to bring the mood down, I'm sorry. The good news is we're back now, and we got out of there thanks to you and your sharp thinking. Good job, Profe- Layton! Sorry. Habit. Layton."

Phoenix brought the hand to his chest in a small thump of a hug, pulling Layton closer a step- he held onto his hat- and finally getting the shorter man to smile again.

"Thank you," Layton said quietly, "My dear friend."


	3. Chapter 3

Be My Friend  
Ch. 3

Disclaimer and notes: I own nothing, just had an idea of how character interactions could have gone in "Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright" and went with it.

* * *

The guest room only had a twin bed, so Phoenix let Maya have her privacy and took the living room couch for himself. Layton provided him with a pillow and a pair of blankets, and he fell asleep somewhere around 11:00 p.m. The two blankets were invaluable as he stripped to his skivvies to sleep, keeping him wrapped in a pocket of warmth for the whole night. He slept restlessly despite this, his hip digging into a bump on the couch that at one point, when he rolled over, turned out to be the television remote.

That is how Phoenix found himself awake at 6:30 a.m., television remote in hand and blankets wrapped around his hips, watching the news when Professor Layton came in. "Phoenix? Did I wake you?"

For the second time that night, Phoenix nearly jolted off the couch. "Wha-! No! Not at all, I accidentally turned the TV on- Layton come see this! It's been on the news all morning!"

Layton, already dressed and ready for the day, crossed his arms over the back of the couch and leaned over to watch. Phoenix obligingly turned up the volume for him.

Labyrinthia was under investigation. The police had gone to the scene even as Phoenix and company were being interrogated. Every officer that went in came out saying the citizens were glowingly happy and content to stay. Within an hour, those same officers would demand to go back and rescue the hostages. With new information from "recent escapees"- "That would undoubtedly be us that they are referring to," Layton mused- the next wave of officers went in with oxygen tanks and gas masks. Without the hypnotic effects of the gas upon them, the officers were able to give civilians a dosage of uncontaminated air. The townspeople would near-unanimously ask for asylum, and within five hours the entire village was completely overtaken by police.

The news showed the same reel of boats bringing villagers back from the island in groups of 5 to 8, some dressed in the robes of the Shades and others in plain medieval garb. All wrapped in blankets, all looking shell-shocked. Familiar faces, every one, from the Vigilantes to a small family with children hanging by their feet, Cecil and Petal cowering between their parents. According to the news announcer, the scientist behind the project, one Mr. Arthur Cantabella, was now wanted for police questioning on the heinous violation of human rights.

The news shifted to a local matter, and Phoenix and Layton simply sat in silence for a while, taking it all in.

"Think they'll be taken care of?" Phoenix asked, hands gripped tight to the remote.

Layton nodded. "They'll be in the finest care possible, I am sure of it."

Both men took a long, deep breath. Layton politely kept his gaze on the television. "I apologize, Phoenix, but in my haste to see the news I intruded upon your privacy. If you like, you may change in my bedroom."

He did need to get dressed, didn't he? Phoenix took a moment and just stretched, getting the kink out of his side from the remote control. "Oh, right, clothes. Sorry. I'll get dressed." Phoenix gave Layton a quick look-over and chuckled to himself. "Don't suppose you have a shirt I can borrow?" The question was more to get Layton to smile, which thankfully it did in a very small way. The man was a good head smaller than him without his hat. Phoenix would never make it into any of his clothes, even temporarily.

Layton met his eyes. "Indeed, I believe out first stop today shall be picking up your and Ms. Fey's clothes from your hotel."

"First stop? What's the second one?"

"Ah-ah-ah, that is a surprise." Layton tugged at the brim of his top hat. "One that, I assure you, does not involve heights."

Breakfast was full English from a diner that Layton and Luke didn't call a diner but a caff? Cafe? Maya inhaled hers and ate the half of Nick's that he was too full to finish and almost ate the half of Layton's that he left on his plate as he took a phone call and then finally fell back asleep in the car while Phoenix and Layton went into the hotel to retrieve their "lost" luggage. The hotel lobby television had the latest on Labyrinthia: thanks to the help of an anonymous contributor- Layton was smiling again- the police had found Cantabella's hideout and finally had him in police custody. His daughter and her legal guardian were taken into police custody and following a panic attack, Espella Cantabella was admitted to the hospital. Phoenix swallowed hard and almost left without his bags.

Back to the house to shower and change into clean clothes. Maya and Phoenix's civvies were not too unlike their courtwear; Maya put on a fresh kimono while Phoenix picked out a well-worn-to-softness blue suit, leaving his attorney's badge tucked into his luggage. Waiting for Maya to finish up her hair, Phoenix told stories about wire taps and coffee drinkers, lost loves and the sisters who loved them, and little Pearl who would just love Luke, he was sure of it. The little man was flustered all the way to the car.

It was a bit of a drive, mostly because of heavy traffic and bikers weaving in and out of bus lanes. Layton played with the radio until he found a news station. The victims of Labyrinthia were just now well enough to begin their testimony about their lives there. No running water, no electricity, communal ovens and inexperienced butchers selling questionable meat. No one ever remembered going to a proper doctor, leaving most of the mothers of young children completely unable to remember giving birth to them. Several victims told of their identities being completely overwritten. Singers became judges, artists became drunkards, students became knights...

With a look around the car, Layton turned the radio back to a music station and spent the rest of the drive in casual conversation, this time telling stories of giant monsters and hidden civilizations. Maya triggered an interesting discussion about whether her village counted as a hidden civilization, but alas, it ended before it could reach a satisfying conclusion. A short time afterwards had the car pulling up outside of a chilling sort of theme park. Not honestly chilling, no, a haunted house of quality sort of chilling. The kind of chilling carefully crafted with actors in suits and colored corn syrup, the kind that spoke more to tourists than terror. Maya stared in amazement out the window while Luke nearly leaped out of the car before it could park. "LONDON DUNGEON LONDON DUNGEON!"

"You brought us to a fake dungeon." Phoenix wasn't sure how to respond, but laughter was just winning out over disbelief and annoyance. "Weren't we just at one?"

Layton did not seem bothered in the slightest, helping Phoenix out of the car with a tug of his hand. "Luke has been wanting to come here for quite some time now."

"It's got the new Tyrant ride this year!" He cheered to Maya. "Brian Blessed is Henry VII, and Jack the Ripper's gonna try to chop us up and there's a haunted boat ride and you can take a photo in the dungeon-!"

"Nick this sounds like the ultimate haunted house!" Maya squealed. "We gotta go! Can we can we?"

"I'm not the one that drove the car, Maya!" Phoenix pointed out. "Ask Professor Layton!"

"Gather 'round, children." Layton waved Maya and Luke to his side and deposited a little wallet in each of their hands. "I'm going to be dropping the two of you off here while Mr. Wright and I attend to business elsewhere."

"Wait, Nick's not coming? NICK!" Maya stomped in a huff. "You weenie! You don't get to chicken out on us!"

Phoenix replied with a groan. "How can I chicken out of something I didn't know we were going to do? I don't see you giving Layton a hard time for not going!"

"YOU wanna try back-sassing him?!"

Layton half-laughed, half cleared his throat. "I do admit that I did not inform Mr. Wright of our destination. That being said, Mr. Wright, would you like to-"

"NO."

Luke stuffed his little wallet into his shirt pocket. "You'll be coming to pick us up later, then?"

"In about two and a half hours, yes. Spend your money wisely, now." Layton gave Luke the littlest of pats on the head. "Get good and scared for me."

Phoenix spoke simply. "Maya, don't spend all your money right off the bat, and for Pete's sake don't spend Luke's!"

"I'm hurt that you think so little of my budgeting skills, Nick," Maya fake-pouted. "I'm really good with money!"

"Just not my money."

"Exactly!"

"You little-"

"Come along, Phoenix!" Layton called for him, and Phoenix could have sworn that was the first time he'd ever heard the professor really raise his voice. "We can't hold up the children!"

Maya and Luke dove into line hand-in-hand, ready to be scared, and Layton linked an arm around Phoenix's elbow to walk him back to the car. It struck him dizzy for a split second, the casual intimacy of the gesture, and one thought lead to another one very quickly.

"So..." Phoenix chuckled to himself. "Where are we going on our 'business elsewhere'?"

Layton answered easily. "The London Aquarium."

A quiet couple of hours at the aquarium with a deep-voiced professor on his arm? This "business elsewhere" was shaping up to be quite the romantic little evening. Although, Phoenix thought to himself, he's probably just being a gentleman. So much of flirting and polite behavior overlapped, and the arm was probably just Layton being... European. Would it be rude to ask for clarification? Probably. Maybe an indirect question, then.

"Thanks for everything so far, Layton." Phoenix sat down in the front passenger seat for the first time since he got to London and goodness it felt good to have legroom. "Mind if I pay for lunch?"

Layton didn't look at him right away, busy shifting into gear and merging into traffic. "Would you mind too terribly if we ate at the aquarium? I have such fond memories..."

"Not at all!" Although eating at aquariums was usually a pricy affair... still, it proved that this wasn't a date, otherwise Layton would have insisted on paying. Phoenix backpedaled in his mind. Wait, but Layton had already payed for everything else. Did this mean he considered him enough of a friend to not insist on paying, making this a date?

Damn it, he was supposed to grow out of these thoughts once he turned 21, wasn't he? That's how 21 worked; legally allowed to drink, fully an adult, no more thinking like a rom com. He looked out the window to distract himself only to find the two of them in another traffic jam. Did London traffic ever move? Like, ever? And he thought Los Angeles was bad, this is why he didn't have a car.

A hand brushed against his, and Phoenix took it automatically without thinking about who it belonged to. "Oh! Layton, sorry, zoned out for a minute there."

Layton nodded understandingly. "Nothing too troubling, I hope?"

"Naah, just..." Don't be a rom com don't be a rom com, he chanted to himself. "I really like spending time with you. I'm glad we're gonna get to do something that's just the two of us."

Layton laughed a laugh that was mostly muffle and smirk, one that came from his chest and ended before it his his mouth. "Even if it starts and ends in horrible traffic."

Phoenix shook his head. "Whatever it is we wind up doing, if I'm doing it with you, I'm happy."

There, right there, spreading over his cheeks, was a blush. Layton concentrated very intently on driving after that, but Phoenix caught it and maybe he was blushing too, because Layton glanced his way from the side and went red all over again about halfway to the aquarium.

Maybe it was normal to think in rom com, even into your...

"Professor Layton, how old are you?"

Layton had to think about it, which Phoenix found a little odd. "35."

The 25-year-old Phoenix's mind boggled a little.

"Do I not look it?"

"Not at all! You might sound it, though. How did someone shorter than me get a voice as deep as yours?"

Layton went red all over again, and his smile stretched a little wider over his cheeks.

The aquarium didn't feel like a rom com, thank goodness. It did feel like the aquariums Phoenix went to as a kid. Instead of his mom and dad holding his hands, it was Layton standing close to his shoulder and challenging him to puzzles to find where the camouflaged fish were hiding. It was a slow crawl on the peoplemover through a glass tunnel in the shark tank. It was Phoenix daring Layton to pick up a shore crab, which he did without flinching, of course, and that made him very popular with all the small children very quickly. It was a quick lunch at the canteen, which made Phoenix laugh, because there must have been a Death Star canteen, yeah? Where the Stormtroopers could just chill and hang out and have penne a la arabiatta, which made Layton laugh hard enough to cover his mouth so he wouldn't lose the food in it. They both swapped stories and little facts they knew back and forth, and nothing ever got as intimate as it did in the car. Layton probably liked it that way, and Phoenix couldn't blame him at all.

By the time they were driving back to pick up Luke and Maya, Phoenix did a little mental math and found that it really didn't feel much like a date at all. It was the kind of day he could remember having with Doug or Larry when he was growing up, just him and his friends knocking shoulders and swapping jokes. But where he'd had a semester to get to know Doug and nearly a lifetime with Larry, he'd only had a few days of quality time with Layton.

He made an executive decision and decided he didn't really care either way. He knew how he felt towards the professor. He felt a lightness in his chest when they spoke and a warmth when they held hands, definitely, and he could admire the sheer cool factor the man had. But he didn't feel an overwhelming desire to kiss him, at least not yet, and that instant attraction wasn't there like it had been for Dahlia. Maybe that was just the adventure talking. Rescue romance and all that movie stuff.

Still, Layton must have felt a little of the same thing. Phoenix laid a hand over Layton's and squeezed, just for the sake of it. Layton's hand stiffened against the gearshift and the blush rushed back over his cheeks. Phoenix's heart fluttered. Yeah, at least a little.

Maya and Luke came back with stories and stories and stories and too many souvenirs, and by the time they made it back to Layton's home, it was raining very heavily, and there was a man standing outside. A man in a cravat.

"Edgeworth?!" Phoenix stepped around Layton to meet Edgeworth at the professor's front steps, covered as he was by a massive black umbrella. Layton fell in step behind him to keep his own umbrella over Phoenix's head, with Maya and Luke bringing up the rear. "How did you know where I was?"

"Deductive reasoning and sources at the police station." Edgeworth glowered out at him from under a shielding frame of bangs and eyebrows. "Your cell phone is off, I take it?"

"It is? Battery must have died, sorry."

"Indeed. I don't have much time to spare, I only have a question that needs an immediate answer. Arthur Cantabella has requested that you defend him once his case goes to the courts. Do you accept his case?"

Phoenix didn't think. The answer just came, even and final. "No."


	4. Chapter 4

Be My Friend  
Ch. 4

Disclaimer and notes: I own nothing, just had an idea of how character interactions could have gone in "Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright" and went with it.

* * *

"Come in out of the rain, please, sir." Layton fished the keys out of his coat pocket and let the little group inside. Edgeworth delicately shook off his umbrella outside before sliding it into a little container by the mat. "I hope you were not waiting for us long."

Edgeworth entered every room like the Angel of Death, friendly visit or courtroom, and today was no exception. Stern and stiff, the rain hadn't dared to touch him under his umbrella. Eyes of flint glared out from under steel gray locks of hair. He wore a coat and cravat like armor, pulled tight around him and buttoned so as not to afford an inch of skin where it could possibly escape. Phoenix smiled at him, because a smile was really the best defense against a guy like Edgeworth. Layton fell into place at his side, standing close enough to where they could just barely touch if Phoenix leaned the right way.

"Only for a few minutes. I came by taxi." Edgeworth stood in the doorway, stock-still, as Maya and Luke shed their wet shoes at the door and flitted around him like moths around a lightbulb. ("See this guy? We got him off a murder charge once!" "Cor!") "Mr. Cantabella was quite insistent on getting you as his defense attorney, and was refusing to cooperate with the police until we had a concrete answer from you personally."

"Well, good for him," said Phoenix. "My answer's still no. Hey, kids..."

Phoenix's weight shifted, cocking one hip to the side, hand resting on the hem of his pocket. "Why don't you tell Edgeworth all about the London Dungeon?"

Maya and Luke's eyes snapped to Edgeworth, gleaming in the low light, and the well-dressed prosecutor flinched as if struck. "No! That is entirely unnecessary-!"

"Mr. Edgeworth, it's great! You start out in this black tunnel-"

"And they put you in a boat with all the other people in the line-"

"And everything's covered in this huge fog and you can't see-"

Layton watched, stunned, as Edgeworth locked up under the attentions of two children. "Oh my... We've made Mr. Edgeworth quite uncomfortable."

"You don't know Edgie back home." Phoenix patted Layton's back between his shoulder blades. "Getting a little embarrassed sometimes is good for him. Gives us time to make a pot of tea, yeah?"

For any discomfort he had, Layton seemed to perk at the idea of tea. "An excellent idea, Phoenix. If you would join me in the kitchen?"

"Sure! Kids, table! Tea soon!"

As Layton and Phoenix ducked into the kitchen, a flurry of stories followed behind them, dragging an increasingly anxious Edgeworth in their wake. Phoenix stepped back and let Layton put a kettle on. It was his kitchen, after all, only fair. Besides, it felt good to hide away from work for a few more minutes...

"You seem familiar with Mr. Edgeworth," Layton asked, not looking up from the kettle.

Oh, goodness, was that the littlest hint of gentleman jealousy? Phoenix was almost flattered. Mostly he hoped he was misinterpreting things, because jealousy seemed unbecoming on Layton. Maybe it was anxiety instead. The best answer, whatever the question was, was the truth. "Miles Edgeworth and I have known each other since..." Wasn't there a word for this. "Prrrimary school?"

Layton made a noise like realization and nodded, smiling. Phoenix was just glad he got it right. "Yeah, since Primary school! He's the reason I got into law. Now sometimes we have cases together. I'm defense, he's prosecution."

"Aaah, that would explain the casual nature of your interactions." Layton smiled and moved much easier now. Anxiety, Phoenix thought. "He does seem a rather reserved type compared to you and Ms. Fey."

"Yeah, he's like that," Phoenix noted. "Nothing malicious about it, he's just kind of a stiff."

Edgeworth's voice pierced through the quiet of the kitchen. "Wright, I am in no mood to be banished to the children's table!"

Phoenix shouted at the door. "Well do you want your tea or not, Edgeworth?!"

"I came here to make sure you hadn't been kidnapped again, not to hear traveler's tales!"

"Woah... now that I didn't expect to hear." It took a lot to get a straight admission of concern out of Miles; if he was offering it up in front of others, he must have been serious. Phoenix caught Layton by the shoulder and held on tight. "I've gotta hear about this, meet you in the kitchen, okay?" He pulled the professor into a quick hug, thumping him across the back, and raced out to hear the rest of this. As he rounded the corner, Layton stayed in place.

Layton kept a cluttered kitchen, the walls lined with pottery and papers and corkboards with clippings. Maya and Luke had their mouths full of cakes that Phoenix hadn't seen in a shop in London yet. He faintly suspected that Edgeworth had bribed them with confections out of his own pockets just to keep them quiet for a moment. Phoenix sat in a chair across from Edgeworth, sandwiching Luke between him and Maya. "Okay, say that again about the kidnapping?"

Edgeworth huffed as if Phoenix had asked him to repeat the entire story, but he was pretty sure he hadn't heard it a first time. "If you had kept better track of your phone battery, you would have known by now-"

"I haven't been able to charge it for two weeks! I forgot!"

"That's exactly the point!" Edgeworth's hands stayed clasped firmly on the table as he spoke. His fingers linked tight as if they were all working together to keep themselves from fidgeting. "You went off the radar for two weeks, disappeared from all of London on the same day as the world-renowned professor of archaeology at Gressenheller University. For two weeks, untraceable, unable to be contacted, and within hours of finding you, the news explodes with stories about a hidden research facility that experimented in memory erasure and brainwashing!"

"Wow..." Phoenix ran his fingers through his hair shyly. "You're keeping better track of the story than I am!"

Maya mumbled through a mouthful of cake roll. "Aaaaw, he loves you!"

"He musta been really worried about you, Mr. Wright!" Luke added.

"Yeah, he's the best friend a guy could ask for," teased Phoenix. "A real pal."

It was either rage or humiliation that was turning Edgeworth's face beet red. Phoenix was fine with both. "That. Being. Said. The Legal League of Attorneys was not happy about your mistreatment. I will be prosecuting the case myself, upon their request."

Layton came back from the kitchen with the tea in a proper china tea set. Phoenix had never seen one used before! Maya and Luke were much more used to the sight and poured their own cups, as did Edgeworth after politely thanking and greeting Professor Layton, hello, yes, names, Prosecutor Miles Edgeworhth, apologies for the abrupt entry, gentleman gentleman gentleman. Layton took the seat on Phoenix's other side, and Phoenix greeted him with a little bump of their shoulders. The professor smiled a little easier and sipped away at a cup of tea while Edgeworth continued.

"Knowing that you won't be defending the client, however, means that I can't ask the League to extend your stay..."

"Nick, take the case!" Maya yelped. "I don't wanna leave yet!"

"... past the next few days." Edgeworth took another, calculated sip from his cup. "If you like, I can have your flight booked for you while you enjoy what's left of your time here."

How perfectly reasonable. Phoenix was expecting much worse news if Miles was willing to track him down to Layton's house. "That'll help a lot. I'll look up some flight times tomorrow and get back to you on the cell."

"As long as you charge it..."

"Where even is my phone?"

It was quiet. Phoenix and Edgeworth shared a look. Both looked to Layton, who shrugged shyly.

Phoenix realized he was waiting for one of Maya's quips about his forgetfulness and looked to Maya.

Maya and Luke had drooped to the point where their heads touched the table, tea half-drunk and long forgotten.

Phoenix chuckled deep in his throat and put his tea away. "Maya, go to bed."

Up she sprang like a daisy in snow. "But I'm not asleep!'

"You have a lot of sleep to catch up on, I'm sure..." Edgeworth finished off his cup and stood. "I'll call a taxi and make my way back to my hotel."

Phoenix was standing too, scooping Luke up into one arm and, after a little juggling, an increasingly lax Maya into another. "I'm gonna put the kids to bed, Layton. Can you keep Edgeworth company, please?"

Layton nodded and stood last, gathering up the empty teacups. "Certainly. I will see you shortly."

Edgeworth didn't move. Layton didn't either, sizing up the other man until he heard Phoenix's feet going up the stairs. Edgeworth followed the noise, and once the stairs were cleared his gaze snapped to Layton's.

They sized each other up for a few pregnant seconds, assessing each other and finding the other worthy.

" _You speak German?_ " Edgeworth asked in his adopted tongue.

Layton paused only a moment, the skill long unused in casual conversation, but still present. " _Yes, fluently._ "

" _I've been very worried about him since he disappeared,_ " stated Edgeworth.

Layton nodded. " _I can tell. He speaks of you very affectionately._ "

" _He acts the same way around you._ " Edgeworth did not smile, Layton was sure of that. But there was a wry curve to his lips that might learn to be a smile, if he let it grow. " _He makes friends easily, but I've never seen him get so close to someone as fast as this. You're very lucky that he likes you as much as he does._ "

Layton blushed across his nose, self-consciously covering his obvious tell with his hand. Well, if Mr. Edgeworth was going to put it so bluntly... " _I wasn't sure if that was his natural friendliness or him simply being..._ "

Edgeworth searched for a word. " _Forward?_ "

Layton shook his head. " _American._ "

Phoenix heard the two of them laughing from downstairs, but wasn't sure why. He was just happy about it, and maybe a little jealous. He wished he could make Layton laugh out loud like that.

Phoenix and Layton only stayed up a little while longer. The news was nothing much that they didn't already know. Phoenix changed into his pajamas- meaning his underwear and an old nearly sheer t-shirt- and made himself comfortable on the couch once again. Layton bid him goodnight while squeezing his fingertips. It was still raining outside, heavy and unending, and the sound of thunder kept Phoenix company all night long.


	5. Chapter 5

Be My Friend  
Ch. 5

Disclaimer and notes: I own nothing, just had an idea of how character interactions could have gone in "Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright" and went with it. I MIGHT have messed up either the timeline in the two games or Phoenix and Layton's ages, I'm not sure.

* * *

The couch was not comfortable two nights in a row. Phoenix nearly fell asleep once. He almost did again, later. Thunder shook the windows. He kept shivering. The blankets were too hot.

Labyrinthia came to him when he relaxed too much. Armored hands slammed into desks. Drafts leaked through creaking doors. Fire licked at his cheeks. Maya was in that fire. Luke was crying into his shoulder. Everything he thought cornered around Espella, Espella's welfare, Espella's happiness, Espella's innocence, Espella Espella Espella Espella Espella-

How much of his thoughts were his own in that place? What did they do to his mind? Would they have erased Maya from his life completely? Separated them? Would he have seen her burned as a witch? Cheered for Barnham to throw her to her death in the flames?

Five years of his life replaced on a whim by Arthur Cantabella because he hadn't followed the script. Professor Layton "killed" by his own writing. Would he have broken him the same way, if things hadn't worked out? Would Layton look at him with those dead eyes of Kira's, not knowing his name? Knowing nothing but doing Darklaw's bidding?

These thoughts hadn't come to him before, not like tonight. They sneaked into his conscious mind when he wasn't distracted by other things, by fish and heights and food. But now, with only the rain and the dark, the pure black he had been programmed not to see, with the promise of Edgeworth sending him home, all his mind could think about was Labyrinthia.

Was this on purpose? Had Layton been trying to distract them all from the horrors they had witness, even subconsciously?

Had Layton been trying to distract himself?

… was he Layton's distraction?

No, couldn't be.

 _Just accept it. Accept it all. The sadness, the remorse... everything. I don't blame you for expressing how hard this whole situation has been on you. Would you?_

Rouge's words, if that was her real name, echoed through his head. He had been through some terrible things... They all had. They needed time to cope. Time and honesty, just like that night in the tavern. It wasn't going to do them any good if they spent the rest of their time with each other ignoring what happened to them.

He couldn't sleep. He couldn't tell what time it was by looking out the window. He got dressed and turned on the TV on the softest volume. Nothing was on.

A show and a half later, Phoenix heard feet on the stairs. Luke came downstairs wearing pajamas and socks, rubbing his eyes free of tears. Phoenix handed him the remote, and Luke sat beside him. Luke put it on early morning children's shows, little quiet programs for babies waking up for school. The soft words and gentle colors put Luke at ease, and Phoenix let him use his arm for a pillow. The windows rattled.

Phoenix knew Maya's footfalls by now, bare toes smacking against hardwood floors. Maya joined them on Phoenix's other side, snuggling into the crook of his chest and taking two long breaths before falling back asleep. Maybe it was the first time she slept that night. Her breathing was soft and even, and Phoenix's head quickly began to weigh more than it had a few minutes ago. A little shift of his weight put his back flush against the sofa cushions, and sleep finally took him.

He only felt the passage of time when the TV blared a louder commercial than before. His body sizzled as if he'd been dropped in a frying pan. Life swam back in where odd dreams had been before. Layton had taken the other side of the couch, dressed but shoeless and always in his hat, Luke tucked under his arm, both asleep.

Phoenix shifted until he and Layton could touch knees, keeping Maya's head on his shoulder, and drifted off again.

Of course, they couldn't stay asleep, not at all. Phoenix's cell phone rang, and his alarmed shiver sent a chain reaction through the couch, waking up everyone else. Damn Edgeworth and his plane tickets, fine, okay Edgeworth, tomorrow at 5, get to the airport by 3, earlier if you can manage, okay, thank you Edgeworth, yes, Edgeworth, bye, EDGEWORTH, thank you, bye.

"Hey Nick, look!" His vision obscured with blue and orange for a minute, until his focal point adjusted and he found himself looking at Tony the Tiger. "They call them 'Frosties!' here! Why aren't they called 'Frosties!' at home?"

"Well, Wendy's would have a problem with it, for one thing..." Phoenix shook his head clear. "Okay, we have a departure time for tomorrow. Gotta be by the airport by at least 3 o' clock p.m., bags packed and ready."

"Aaaw..." Maya whimpered, clutching the box to her chest. "Stupid international travel..."

"Yeah, I know... And raining on our last day in London, too." Phoenix and Maya's gaze fell on the window and the heaping rain pouring onto it.

"You'll find that it rains most days in London," Luke called out from the kitchen. "We're lucky that we got the sun while we did!"

"Looks like we're entertaining ourselves for the day." Phoenix's hands itched. Something about this morning? He'd tried to remember something. Maya released the Frosties box, apologetically uncrinkling Tony the Tiger.

Right! That was it!

Phoenix pulled Maya to him and hugged her tight, his words muffled into her shoulder and his chest tickling from a crumped box of Frosties. "MAN I'm glad you're with me-"

Maya, of course, screamed in his ear in delight and crushed his ribs while he was at it. "You're the best, Nick! I'm glad you didn't die too!"

"Oi! What's she getting hugs for?" Luke peeked out of the kitchen door from an angle that meant he had to be, at least, standing on the table itself to see. "I wanna hug too!"

"Oh you are getting THE BIGGEST HUG!" Maya disappeared into the kitchen in a flurry of nightgown, spinning Luke into a hug that knocked over at least a chair and wobbled a potted plant. Phoenix put the forgotten Frosties up onto a bookshelf, the nearest flat surface he could find, and pondered where the professor might've gotten to. If any man needed to get in on Hugfest 2015, it was one Herschel Layton.

He didn't have to look. Layton stepped, stage right, into the frame of the kitchen doorway with a cup of tea and an improperly large smile on his face. Phoenix stepped into the melee and slung an arm around Layton. "I'm glad you're here too, you know. Got anything to keep us company until the rain lets up?

"I'm sure we could find something to entertain ourselves until your flight," said Layton. He was still distant and foggy, probably sleep-deprived. Phoenix felt the little tremor of shyness that came with worry, the thought that he might be the distraction, and spoke his mind.

"Don't feel like you need to distract us from anything. I'm always just happy to spend time with you." He patted Layton's back softly, stopping as he took another long draft of tea and took in Maya and Luke fixing another bowl of sugar cereal. "And if you need to talk about anything, just let me know, and I'll listen-"

Layton didn't answer verbally, but crossed an arm over his chest to lay a hand over Phoenix's. He was blushing over his nose, only barely visible under the brim of his hat and even then only if Phoenix leaned the right way.

"You do so much simply by being here," he said quietly. "Thank you, Phoenix."

Layton let go, and the moment passed. "Finish up, children. I believe today calls for computer puzzles."

Maya stopped in her tracks, still gripping Luke in her arms. "Computer puzzles?"

Luke kicked his feet happily. "On quiet days, the professor and I play King's Quest together!"

"Oh my god I haven't played a King's Quest game in ages..." Phoenix laughed to himself. "I never got past the dwarves with the senses on the island..."

"Did you get the rabbit's foot from the ferryman?" Luke asked.

"Wait, stop. Everybody stop," Maya commanded. "I don't speak fluent nerd."

Speak it or not, Maya had the computer to herself and Luke, immersed into King's Quest VI too soon to think about. Phoenix and Layton kept a watchful distance, first out of courtesy and later because Phoenix had to physically withhold Layton from answering the puzzles for the children. With the kids entertaining themselves, Phoenix and Layton took the time to wash clothes and get their cases packed so going to the airport would be no trouble. A little walk to the shop around the corner got them small snacks and convenience food that was a lot of grease but sat well in their bellies on a cold day.

"You know, I was worried you might not like us after a few days," Phoenix admitted in a vulnerable moment. Luke and Maya both were falling asleep at the keyboard, and Phoenix had just finished walking Maya back to bed when Layton met him at the door. "With how Maya and I act around each other, you know, thought you'd get sick of us fast..."

Layton smiled and toyed with the brim of his hat. "Phoenix Wright, you are a man of truth in all things."

He must have been more tired than he thought, because the statement hit him across the temples like a boat oar and his mind refused to process it. "What?"

The fingers on Layton's hat became less of a habit and more of a shield the longer he spoke, the brim slowly covering his eyes and nose as the admission flowed from him. "It is a part of you I've found drawn to my attention more than once. You seek the truth in the face of insurmountable odds, you speak the truth to others, and you strive to find it within yourself. There is a sincerity about you that..."

The brim wasn't enough. Layton turned his body away shyly, shielding himself with his arm. "That I quite envy."

"Huh." Phoenix stepped around to Layton's front, and again when he tried to turn away until Layton finally looked up at him again, apprehension in his shoulders and eyes. "Because the whole time I've been jealous of your cool head."

"That has come from years of diligent practice, my friend. You could very well do the same," Layton encouraged, "Although the world would be lesser without your natural enthusiasm."

Now Phoenix was blushing, he was almost sure. "Aw come on, you're flattering me."

"I am simply trying your methods, my friend. These words come from the bottom of my heart."

Phoenix could feel himself shrinking, shoulders folding up to hide his reddening neck. "Oh come on..."

Layton gasped in a quick breath, shoulders straightening, preparing himself. "Now I think you have an idea of how you've made me feel for the last few days."

Phoenix threaded his fingers through his hair. "I feel like I'm blushing hard enough to melt through the floor."

The professor chuckled. "That is one way of putting it."

"Why the sudden rush of honesty?"

"A fantastic display of emotional catharsis." Layton's jaw flexed oddly, and Phoenix realized he was stifling a yawn behind closed teeth and felt the need to yawn himself. "Along with an interrupted sleep schedule..."

"A nap's looking like a pretty good idea..." Phoenix stretched, arms over his head and then down to his navel. "Pardon me if I fall asleep on the couch..."

Hands met his. Phoenix unraveled from a long stretch and waited as Layton held their hands together, pondering his choice of words and, carefully, speaking them. "I would be remiss to keep you out of an available bed."

The weight of the words hung directly on his heart. He tucked a thumb over a few of Layton's fingers, returning the kind gesture with a quivering little squeeze. "Maya and Luke are sleeping. The only one left is yours."

Layton nodded, never dropping eye contact. "That is correct."

Phoenix's mouth went dry. "Where will you sleep?"

Layton's smile was so small, so hopeful. Phoenix returned it and it grew. "Next to you, if you will have me."

"I'll... uh... have?"

Layton's lip twisted in a snort, and Phoenix's chest tickled. They laughed, a real laugh like Edgeworth got out of him yesterday. Layton fell onto him laughing, Phoenix gripping at his shoulders, all relief and entirely happy and so incredibly embarrassed, with a small professor to match! They parted for their pajamas, changed on their own and brushed their teeth one after the other in the master bathroom. The professor's bed was small, barely bigger than a twin, and Phoenix immediately felt like an oaf taking up so much room. Layton hung his hat on a stand next to the bed, blocking out the light from outside coming through the window. Phoenix on the left side, Layton on the right, Layton curled into his side and reached over him to turn off the side table lamp.

No television, no window, no Labyrinthia tonight. Phoenix wrapped an arm around Layton's shoulders and laid his head down on a real, full-size pillow, and fell deep asleep in warmth and comfort.


	6. Chapter 6

Be My Friend  
Ch. 6

Disclaimer and notes: I own nothing, just had an idea of how character interactions could have gone in "Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright" and went with it.

In the real world, stories never ended. Arcs came to a close and the characters moved on to new, exciting plot lines.

Espella Cantabella was taken out of Arthur Cantabella's custody. Deemed an unfit father and sentenced to jail time, Arthur Cantabella legally lost all rights to his daughter. Espella instead chose to live with the woman known as Patty Eclair. Legally an adult, Eve Bellduke moved in with the two and took a job to cover utilities. Their exact whereabouts are unknown, but believed to be a small town within a short drive's distance from Birminghamshire.

Jean Greyearl was reunited with her family, along with many other Labyrinthia foundlings. The families accordingly sued Labrelum Inc. for emotional damages and various other charges. The exact amount is unknown, as Labrelum settled many cases out of court with only the higher profile cases going to trial.

Zacharias Barnham looked for a job in local law enforcement before receiving a settlement check. He has since purchased his own home and rents out spare rooms to students attending a nearby university. Although he has not found stable employment as of yet, he has told reporters that he enjoys the company and the chance to find the real him, as opposed to the role assigned to him. He still has Constantine.

Hundreds of stories branched into thousands of paths. Judges became singers. Drunkards went sober. Couples dissolved while trios grew more solid. Tales spun off and paths diverged.

One path diverged at the airport, where Maya and Luke wept on each other's shoulders despite having addresses and emails and Skye names and a great many hugs.

"It's not gonna be the same!" Maya whimpered. "It's like leaving family!"

Luke sniffled and tried his hardest not to drip anything on Maya's shoulder. "You have to send me letters! Letters with pictures in them! Don't you forget!"

"How could I ever forget my little brother?!"

There went Luke again, setting off Maya until they were both bawling and holding each other.

Phoenix couldn't keep a dry eye and turned his head away to wipe a few tears. Layton stayed close by his side, lip unsteady. They both sat in the airport's small, plastic chairs, separated by a tiny excuse of an armrest but still held just the smallest bit apart. It felt so different from this morning, from waking up from a long and glorious oversleep completely clear-headed and warm...

"I'll miss you," Phoenix said quietly. "I don't have any friends like you." He took Layton's hand in his, holding on tight and letting Layton squeeze him back. "But we'll keep in touch, and who knows? Legal League of Attornies could send me back next year and we won't get kidnapped at all!"

Layton's laugh sputtered, hidden behind a hand that clamped on his mouth to keep him from choking up. Phoenix could feel the pain, how the emotions were back to bottling up now that they were well rested. (Having slept so soundly that they hadn't moved from their initial cuddle would knock the tired out of any person.) Phoenix turned his body and offered himself in a hug. "Last cuddle before we leave for America?"

His arms were instantly filled with a small professor crushing his ribs in an embrace to last him over the Atlantic. Phoenix's arms felt oddly long to go over Layton's shoulders, but that was only an afterthought as he swallowed up his friend in a hug. Each man hooked a chin over the other's shoulder. Each one pulled closer until they were touching chest-to-chest and still closer. For as much as they knew, this would be the last one. It had to count for something.

They held the embrace even as Maya and Luke were parting. "You'd better write me as soon as you get back home, Maya!"

"Hey, your home is closer! You better write _me_!" Maya joked. "And address it right! Mystic Maya of Kurain Village, Ace Assistant and Spirit Medium!"

"Well then, you better address me right!" Luke quipped right back. "Luke Triton, apprentice gentleman!"

Phoenix snickered and broke the embrace enough to breathe, leaving he and Layton's hands clasped between them. "Hey, how come you all have titles? I want a title!"

"You already have a title, Mr. Wright!" Luke said obligingly. "You're... an ace baker!"

"Oh cut that out."

"You are the Ace Attorney, though! Can't forget that." Maya's fist pumped the air in triumph. "Saver of witches! Un-burner of innocents!"

Phoenix laid the sarcasm on thick. "How could I forget. That renders my entire previous point completely moot."

Professor Layton gave his hand one last little compression. "For what it is worth, Phoenix, you have a most glorious title in my mind."

"All right! That's the one that matters! What am I?"

"You are, and always will be, my friend."

Maya gasped so profoundly that people turned to stare. "He... he quoted a movie! Just for you!"

'One last little compression' be damned. Phoenix bodily pulled Layton into another hug. "Love you too, professor!"

"I say! We were on a first name basis but a second ago!" laughed Layton, holding his hat on with one hand and tussling Phoenix's hair in another.

"First name basis my ass! Layton's your last name! Come here you! I'm hugging you until we cycle back around to friendly rivals!"

Stories went on and on, but arcs concluded to make way for new tales. Phoenix Wright and Herschel Layton couldn't wait for the next chapter of theirs.


End file.
